European Hoops; American Perspective; Usually Watching on Replay Stream

Nicolas Laprovittola

Mid-season transfers, much like any professional sport be it here in America or Worldwide, tend to be common fare. For some Euroleague clubs, the risk of perhaps disrupting team chemistry on and off the court is well worth it, especially if it can help a team solidify or boost their playoff and Final Four chances. At this time of the year, with some teams’ playoff chances fading faster and faster with each coming week, the need to make a drastic change in the roster now can feel urgent, not just to salvage the season, but also one’s status for next season.

Let’s take a look at what each player will provide their respective club, and if this will affect their playoff chances in a positive or negative fashion in the second half of the season.

Barcelona Banking on Brazilian Boost (On Offense…)

(And yes, I was purposefully trying to get a four letter alliteration…sorry grammar and AP style nerds!)

Barcelona basically traded posts, essentially, as they signed Vitor Faverani from UCAM Murcia, and released Joey Dorsey to make room for the Brazilian national. Management’s decision to let go of Dorsey was probably not an easy one: they signed him to a two-year contract extension this off-season, and he is the team’s (and perhaps the Euroleague’s) best rebounder, according to rebounding rate. However, Dorsey has not only struggled to stay on the court due to injuries (which has caused all kinds of hoopla on Twitter; Dorsey claims that the Barcelona medical staff neglected treating him for a lot of issues, which in his eyes, sabotaged his season), but also has failed to help a struggling Barcelona team put points on the board. He averaged only 5.5 ppg on 54.8 percent shooting in 17 mpg (and he was dismal at the line, shooting around 54 percent). Considering his athleticism, strength, and the lack of depth in the frontcourt, head coach Georgios Bartzokas and Barcelona expected much more from him in the beginning of the year, and it makes sense they decided to cut their losses now considering they are still in the playoff hunt, and can’t afford many more losses.

With Dorsey gone, in his place comes Faverani, who had a cup of coffee with Maccabi Fox Tel Aviv last season (he played two games) before spending the past year and a half in Murcia with UCAM. Faverani is the opposite of Dorsey: he doesn’t offer the intimidating presence, but he makes up for it with a deft skill set on both the offensive and defensive end. Last season, UCAM was boosted by the high-low combo of Faverani and Argentinian “Wunder-Guard” Facundo Campazzo, who helped UCAM to a 18-16 record, and a 7th place finish in the Liga Endesa (which produced a very entertaining first round series between them and Real Madrid, which Madrid won 2-1 in a best of three round). There was a lot of hope that with another year together, and a spot in a weakened Eurocup competition (due to the defections of many clubs to FIBA’s Champions League), that Faverani, Campazzo, and UCAM would be a dark horse of sorts this year.

Unfortunately, the change in coaching staff from Fotis Kasakaris (who left for Lokomotiv Kuban; and was fired mid-season, ironically) to Oscar Quinatana has not been kind: neither Campazzo (turnover and shooting issues) nor Faverani has been as effective this year, and currently UCAM sits at 5-11 in the Liga Endesa and 1-2 in the Top 16 round of the Eurocup.

However, UCAM’s loss may be Barcelona’s gain. Faverani adds much needed scoring to a frontcourt that has been plagued by injury and ineffectiveness. In addition to Dorsey’s issues, Barcelona has struggled to get anything in the post beyond Ante Tomic, who is their main frontline scorer, as he is averaging 10 ppg, 4.9 rpg and has a team leading 13.7 PIR per game. Justin Doellman, who has gone through injury issues himself like Dorsey, has been primarily regulated to a jump shooting stretch-four when he is on the floor (he has only appeared in 11 games). Additionally, newcomer Victor Claver has been a slightly better, but different version of Doellman, as the Spaniard has had more of an effect on defense and on the glass (4.4 to Doellman’s 2.6 rpg), but scores less than Doellman (5.5 to Doellman’s 6.9 ppg).

Those are not good signs for an offense that ranks in the bottom of the Euroleague not only in terms of points scored (71.4 ppg), but also in point-differential (their -58 point differential is third-worst, ahead of only Galatasaray and Olimpia Milano) and offensive efficiency (their 90.9 rating is worst in the league). However, there is hope that the 28-year-old Brazilian forward will help improve those numbers during this week 18-30 stretch.

First off, Faverani is a skilled big with good touch around the rim. Faverani averaged 11 ppg on 55.6 percent shooting this year in Eurocup play, and 9.7 ppg on 56.8 percent shooting in the Liga Endesa. Those numbers are down of course from the 10.5 ppg and 61.5 percent shooting clip he put up in the Liga Endesa last season, but it still demonstrates that Faverani can be a productive player in the post on the right team. Considering that Barcelona struggles to get consistent scoring from anyone on the roster beyond Tomic and guard Tyrese Rice (who has had his own inconsistency issues this season as well), Faverani certainly will have the opportunities and chances to have an impact.

Now, the one knock on Faverani is that he’s not an explosive athlete. He relies on his crafty skill set to score baskets, and even his made shots can be painful to witness on occasion. Faverani had some good outings in his short stint in the NBA with the Boston Celtics in 2013-2014, but even in the highlights below, he can lacks grace and fluidity on occasion in his offensive game. Nearly three years later, it hasn’t gotten much better, but at least he has been able to use his experience to make up for these shortcomings.

The one positive about Faverani’s arrival is that he shouldn’t affect this team defensively, which has not only been the key reason why they have stayed in the playoff race, but also a calling card of Bartzokas as a coach. Faverani is tough and doesn’t give up easy baskets around the rim, and he is also a much wiser defender than Dorsey. It was common to see Dorsey get in foul trouble, unable to harness his aggressiveness or frustration consistently (a knock he has had ever since his days in college at Memphis). Faverani still is a tough, and aggressive player, but he is much better in terms of playing defense without fouling in comparison to Dorsey. Not only will this help keep Barcelona’s defense humming down the stretch, but it will also provide dividends on the other end of the court: the more Faverani is playing, the better chance their offense will have from escaping the garbage dump they currently sit in now by the end of the season.

Faverani might not single-handily save the season for Barcelona. They still have to get past Brose Bamberg, UNICS, Efes, and Red Star, not to mention hold off Maccabi, which still has a puncher’s chance with the trio of Sonny Weems, Andrew Goudelock, and Quincy Miller. That being said, trading Faverani for Dorsey is a positive upgrade for Bartzokas’ squad, as they improve considerably on offense without sacrificing too much on the defensive and rebounding end (though Faverani is not quite the rebounder Dorsey was; but then again, few in the Euroleague were).

Laprovittola adds depth at the point for Baskonia

He’s been dubbed the next “Manu Ginobili” by some. Some have even ventured as far as calling him the “Argentinian Steph Curry” thanks to his sweet and streaky shooting stroke. However, after a brief 18-game stint with the San Antonio Spurs, Nicolas Laprovittola returns to Europe, this time with a Baskonia squad that is hoping to return to the Final Four.

The addition of Laprovittola is just the latest move by Baskonia management to add depth to the point guard position behind Shane Larkin. Though Larkin has performed well, he is still in his first year in Europe and in the Euroleague, and he has had some performances that have left more to be desired as of late. Against Panathinaikos and star player Nick Calathes, Larkin really struggled, as he had only 6 points and 6 turnovers in a narrow 69-68 loss. While Rafa Luz has given some nice hustle and defense, his physical limitations and lack of production on offense have been a big reason why Baskonia has been so active during the year in finding another guard to relieve Larkin off the bench.

And luckily for Baskonia, that greener pasture for the free agent guard happened to be in Vitoria.

As you will see from his highlights below, Laprovittola brings a much needed skill set to this Baskonia squad. They have been solid in the post thanks to Johannes Voigtmann, Tornike Shengelia, and Kim Tillie; and on the wings with Adam Hanga and Chase Budinger. Along with Larkin, Laprovittola could prove to be a missing piece to the Baskonia puzzle: he offers up much needed outside shooting (they score a lot less from beyond the arc this season than a year ago) as well as playmaking, which they struggle to get when Larkin is not on the court. I don’t know if Laprovittola will live up to that Manu or Curry hype, but it is easy to see him being productive immediately for Baskonia under coach Sito Alonso, who has already done a hell of a job coaching this diverse bevy of talent thus far.

Unlike Barcelona, who is just fighting for a playoff position, Baskonia is probably safe in terms of finishing in the Top-8 by the end of Round 30. They currently are 11-6 and sit in fourth place now, one game ahead of Panathinaikos and Fenerbahce, who are tied for 5th at 10-7. Barring a major collapse or a huge rash of injuries, Baskonia fans can look forward to Euroleague playoff basketball in the Spring.

However, the goal for Baskonia is not to just get to the playoffs, but make it back to the Final Four. With the point guard issues surrounding this team, as well as Andrea Bargnani’s health a major question mark, this team needs to solidify their rotation a bit if they want to keep themselves in this Final Four discussion. Pana certainly is getting better not just with the arrival of Gentile, but also due to Mike James, who is finally healthy, and coach Xavi Pascual getting more comfortable coaching this team. Fenerbahce could also see a big boost with the arrival of Bennett. Hence, it makes sense to see Baskonia make a move to keep up with those two clubs who are coming up quick on Baskonia’s heels in the standings.

Now, will Laprovittola be an impact player? It’s hard to tell. He played so little this year with the Spurs, he has no Euroleague experience, and the clubs he played for (Lietuvos Rytas of Lithuania and Estudiantes of Spain) weren’t necessarily “spotlight” teams by any measure. Without a doubt, other than his stint in the NBA, this will be the most pressure Laprovittola has faced on a professional level. Will he be able to handle it?

We’ll know for sure whenever he dresses in that Baskonia uniform and steps on the court (I doubt considering the circumstances he’ll be ready for this round’s Euroleague’s games). That being said, this signing definitely has thrust Baskonia into the list of Euroleague teams worth following closely for the remainder of the regular season.